HD SOUTH - Home of the Gilbert Museum — Attraction in Gilbert

Whenever I visit some city for the first time, I usually try to stop at its historical museum. It always says a lot about the city and its people.Gilbert Historical Museum is located further South on Gilbert Rd, it has several exhibits outside, in the foyer (check out that car!), and of course many artifacts from those times when Gilbert used to be the "Hay Shipping Capital of the World" (that was actually 'only' a hundred years ago). Exhibits are totally amazing, and they are very-well presented - anything from old-time farming equipment and household pottery to the 'latest fashion' (of the 1920s) dresses and even a wedding dress!The volunteer on duty (I think this lady's name is Susan Huff) was so hospitable and friendly and was happy to answer my questions and show me around, that I decided to make a modest donation to the museum, and also bought a T-shirt at their tiny souvenir shop.The T-shirt is very particular: it has a huge drawing of the water tower , and underneath it just says 'Gilbert'. It doesn't specify what state it is. Just 'Gilbert'. Isn't that cool though?Outside the museum I could see the historic original at a distance - that famous Town of Gilbert Water Tower in...

Wow! Way better than I expected. It doesn't look like much from outside, but there's a lot to see inside. There's a downstairs area where you can go to see the model trains, with stations modeled after the different Arizona cities. Very realistic, and the guy manning the area was very welcoming. Then, there's an outdoor veterans memorial, and walking past that, you see a historic wagon, car, and firetruck. From there, you enter the main building. The rooms are clearly labeled with signs, and everything was well laid out with large-font signs to read. I also enjoyed the replica displays, i.e. the model blacksmith shop, as well as the historical artifacts. Outside, there's old farm equipment and two other rooms- a gallery and a military exhibit section. So cool! You could definitely spend around 2 hours here if you take your time reading each sign and...

The museum is small, but carries a big legacy. While many of the exhibits are general U.S. history several prominent families that helped found and develop Gilbert are detailed. If you are familiar with the area you will recognize several names. It will not take much time to see all the exhibits so a visit to The Gilbert Historical Museum is a great start or end to a tour of Downtown Gilbert. Go see the Water Tower Park, have brunch at one of the amazing eateries and learn about small...